Tuesday, September 23, 2014

WESTERVILLE, OH—The Otterbein Women’s Club is hosting Delaware fiber artist, Tammy Perakis Wallace, for a presentation at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, in the Otterbein University Courtright Memorial Library, 138 W. Main St. This presentation is free and open to the public.

In her presentation, Perakis will show how items from the Otterbein University Thrift Store can be repurposed into forms of art. The Otterbein Women’s Club runs the thrift store, whose proceeds go directly to the university in the form of scholarships.

After graduating from Otterbein University in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and a minor in costume design, Perakis began decorating many stages around central Ohio. Not long after, Perakis began composing works in quilt form, many of which have been displayed in exhibits across the United States.

“I like to play with fabric…the touch, colors, malleability. I use my fabrics like paint, placing them on the surface to express my thoughts, recall a moment, or evoke a response. I feel in command of the fabric, and confident that I can mold it to my intent,” Perakis wrote of her quilt art. Perakis often includes a humorous aspect in her pieces and instills movement, color and texture in each quilt.

In 2002, Perakis obtained a bachelor of fine arts in sculpture and metals from Ohio Wesleyan University and began working at the Ross Art museum on campus, where she has been since their opening. She now serves as the assistant director. She was recently elected onto the Ohio Museums Association Board of Trustees.

Otterbein University is a small private university nationally-recognized for its intentional blending of liberal arts and professional studies through its renowned Integrative Studies curriculum and its commitments to experiential learning and community engagement. Otterbein has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll since the list’s inception in 2006 and consistently stands in its category’s top 20 in U.S. News & World Report’s guide to “America’s Best Colleges.” Otterbein offers 75 undergraduate majors; five master’s programs; and a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP). Its picturesque campus is perfectly situated in Westerville, Ohio, America’s fifth friendliest town (Forbes), just minutes from Columbus, the 15th largest city in the country. Otterbein’s commitment to opportunity started with its founding in 1847 as one of the nation’s first universities to welcome women and persons of color to its community of teachers and learners, which now numbers 2,600 undergraduate and 400 graduate students. Otterbein remains committed to its relationship with the United Methodist Church and its spirit of inclusion, and welcomes people of all backgrounds to Otterbein’s Model Community. To learn more about Otterbein, visit www.otterbein.edu.

About Me

The AICUO Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts (EVAs) is statewide online intercollegiate arts competition that allows senior students from Ohio's independent colleges to compete for a Grand Award prize and other titles.